Abstract
Whole genome duplications (WGDs) lead to polyploid specimens and are regarded as major drivers for speciation and diversification in plants. One prevalent problem when studying WGDs is that effects of polyploidization in ancient polyploids cannot be disentangled from the consequences of selective evolutionary forces. Cytotypic differences in distribution, phenotypic appearance and in response to surface elevation (determined by HOF-modeling) were identified in a relatively young taxa-group of a hexaploid F1-hybrid (Spartina× townsendii H. Groves & J. Groves, Poaceae) and its dodecaploid descendent (Spartina anglica C.E. Hubbard, Poaceae) using vegetation assessments (1029 plots; 1 × 1 m2) from the European Wadden Sea mainland salt marshes, including elevational and mean high tidal (MHT) data. While the F1-hybrid was mainly present in the eastern part of the Wadden Sea, its dodecaploid descendent occurred in the entire Wadden Sea area. The Spartina cytotypes differed in phenotypes (median of Spartina cover: hexaploid = 25% vs. dodecaploid = 12%) and in elevational niche-optimum (hexaploid = − 49.5 cm MHT vs. dodecaploid = 8.0 cm MHT). High ploidy levels correlated with establishment success in Spartina along geographic gradients but did not seem to increase the capacity to cope with abiotic severity downwards the elevational gradient in salt marshes.
Highlights
Whole genome duplication (WGD; or polyploidization) is a key mechanism in plant evolution (Soltis et al 2014; Soltis and Soltis 2016; Certner et al 2017) with profound consequences for plant ecology
We aim to investigate the effects of WGD in the genus of Spartina, a well-established model system for studying recent (
We show that two different Spartina cytotypes occur in the mainland salt marshes along the Wadden Sea coast, the hexaploid F1hybrid Spartina × townsendii as well as the maternal Spartina alterniflora, and the hybrid’s dodecaploid descendent Spartina anglica
Summary
Whole genome duplication (WGD; or polyploidization) is a key mechanism in plant evolution (Soltis et al 2014; Soltis and Soltis 2016; Certner et al 2017) with profound consequences for plant ecology Formed polyploids live in sympatry with their progenitors and have immediately to overcome reproductive disadvantages, such as minority cytotype exclusion (Levin 1975) or genomic changes generated by homoeologous. Studying neopolyploids opens the possibility to disentangle the effects of selective evolution from WGD on niche differentiation. Ramsey (2011) compared tetra-, hexa-, and neohexaploid Achillea borealis and concluded that the hexaploid A. borealis had achieved the ability to adapt to a novel environment through polyploidization. We aim to investigate the effects of WGD in the genus of Spartina, a well-established model system for studying recent (
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